Uzbekistan
National Atlases
The cartographic tradition of Uzbekistan, as reflected in this collection of five national atlases spanning 1963 to 2020, traces its origins to the Soviet era, when the republic was a constituent part of the USSR. The earliest volume, the Atlas of the Uzbek SSR (1963), compiled under the direction of Professor L. Babushkin, contained 50 maps with explanatory texts, covering physical geography, relief, geology, and climate. This was followed by a two-part series in 1982 and 1985, produced by the Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography, which expanded the thematic scope and established a systematic approach to regional mapping. After independence in 1991, the tradition was reinvented with the National Atlas of Uzbekistan, published in two volumes in 2020 by the Cadastre Agency under the State Tax Committee. These modern volumes reflect a shift in content, structure, and purpose, responding to the country's changed geopolitical context and national identity. The collection demonstrates a continuity of cartographic practice from Soviet-era regional atlases to a sovereign national atlas, marking both a scientific and political evolution. The 1963 atlas was noted in contemporary reviews for its comprehensive physical-geographic coverage, while later scholarship highlighted the deliberate reorientation of the national atlas toward the needs of an independent state. Together, these works stand as a testament to Uzbekistan's enduring commitment to mapping its territory, resources, and people across six decades of profound political change.
Versions and Their Documents
National Atlas of Uzbekistan: Volume I
2020 · O'zbekiston Respublikasi davlat soliq qo'mitasi huzuridagi kadastr agentligi
National Atlas of Uzbekistan: Volume II
2020 · O'zbekiston Respublikasi davlat soliq qo'mitasi huzuridagi kadastr agentligi
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article1964Atlas of the Uzbek SSR
И. С. Брыковская
This article reviews the Atlas of Natural Conditions of the Uzbek SSR, published in 1963, and the Cartographer's Handbook, published in 1964. The review of the atlas notes that it contains only physical-geographic maps across 53 pages, with a focus on relief, geology, and hydrogeology. Maps of loess subsidence, artesian basins, and agro-climatic conditions are highlighted as particularly original and practical. However, the atlas is criticized for certain shortcomings, including uninformative maps, inappropriate scales, a lack of supplementary charts, insufficient coverage of resource utilization and environmental protection, and editorial inconsistencies. The Cartographer's Handbook is described as the first comprehensive reference of its kind, systematically covering all stages of map production.
- Journal Article1964Atlas Uzbekskoj Sowietskoj Socjalisticzeskoj Respubliki
Stanisław Leszczycki
This article reviews the Atlas of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, published in Tashkent–Moscow in 1963. Compiled by an editorial committee led by Dr. L. Babushkin, Professor of Geography at Tashkent University, the atlas comprises 53 pages of maps and text and covers only physical geography, thus not fully qualifying as a national atlas. Its structure includes general administrative and physical maps, geological and tectonic maps, climatic maps (including agro-climatic zoning), hydrographic maps, and a notably rich biogeographical section (soil types, vegetation, animal distribution). The atlas contains 50 maps at scales ranging from 1:3,500,000 to 1:10,000,000. The reviewer notes that the atlas employs sound cartographic methods and greatly facilitates knowledge of Uzbekistan in Poland, but its lack of a socio-economic section is a clear shortcoming.
- Journal Article1964Integrated regional geographic atlases
K. A. Salishchev
The author reviews work on atlases of Soviet republics and oblasts published in 1961–64, containing maps on physical geography, population, economy and culture. He finds that these atlases suffer from a lack of practical purposefulness and inadequate coordination. These weaknesses are to be remedied in a new coordinated project of natural-resource atlases of the major republics and economic regions of the USSR initiated in 1963.
- Journal Article2013On the structure, content, and purpose of the National Atlas of Uzbekistan
Т. М. Мирзалиев; Э. Ю. Сафаров; А. Эгамбердиев; Ш. М. Пренов; О. Абдрахман; Г. Чидербаева
This paper examines the structure, content, and purpose of the Nation
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.